Invasion
by GigawattConduit
Summary: Five years ago, they stopped the Light from dominating the world with the help of the Justice League. Or so they thought. Now, the missing 16 hours are revealed, and the Earth will never be the same. Novelization of Season Two.
1. Happy New Year!

**Location: The Watchtower, January 3:21:00, EST**

Aqualad turned to the other heroes gathered around him and said, "Something else is wrong."

Batman turned to his apprentice, Robin. After a press on the keyboard in front of the Boy Wonder, six pictures came up on screen. The photographs of Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern John Stewart, Wonder Woman, Hawkwoman, Superman, and Batman.

"The entire League was under Savage's spell for just over a day," Robin began. "We've accounted for most of that time, but these six went missing for a full 16 hours we can't account for."

"16 hours," Batman repeated. "What did we do?"

"You have no memory of what you did?" Aqualad asked.

"None. The last thing I remember is Red Arrow talking to me as I was analyzing the Starro Tech. And the next thing I know, you're all on the Watchtower, telling us that we were under mind control."

"That matches up with what we've asked Superman, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman," Robin mused. "I-it doesn't make sense, though. Why can Arrow, Aquaman, and the others remember what they did while you can't? Why target you six specifically?"

"When Savage recalled Starro-controlled members of the League, you six came through a yellow portal," Red Tornado informed. "Not Zeta Tube. A yellow portal."

"Klarion?" Aquaman replied.

"His portals are red," Aqualad reminded.

Robin sighed. "Another mystery in the ever growing ones of this secret society."

"You saved the League and revealed our enemies," Aquaman comforted. "And hopefully, once we've heard from Guardian, we will bring Savage and his accomplices to justice."

"Agreed," Batman nodded. "You all did good work today. I've never been more proud."

Aqualad and Robin smiled at the praise.

**Location: Unknown, January 1, 4:32 CET UTC+1**

"Thank you for meeting us today."

"The pleasure is ours. Have you found them?"

"Indeed. We have someone in mind who can root them out for you. And after they are all gathered, we will...eliminate the competition. But what about your Champions? Will they catch wind of our plans?"

"Do not worry about them. We have a way for them to leave this planet, and they will be compelled to. When can you begin?"

"We will establish a base of operations underneath a large body of water away from prying eyes. Afterwards, your operative will need to start gathering shipments for us."

"I will have my best operatives working with you on both your competition and the shipments. They will be at your command."

"Gratitude."

* * *

_"Superboy here. Target descended into the sewers. I'm pursuing now." _

_"Do you require backup?" _

_"Not yet. I'll contact you if I do."_

_"Affirmative. Delta, hold back." _

_"Noted." _

_"You got it." _

_"Alright."_

_"Affirmative."_

**Location: Gotham City, 16:14 EST**

Superboy had to resist covering his nose as he ran through the sewer. His footsteps echoed through the dark cave as he skidded to a halt at the sight of a piece of mud. He examined it for a moment before tossing it to the ground.

_If I were him, where would I hide..._

His thoughts were cut off at the sound of sloshing water. He turned around and was met with a river of mud wrapping around his torso and lifting him off the ground.

_I always fall for this gag_, Superboy thought.

Clayface roared as he emerged out of the water. He brought the clone to him and squeezed.

"You always fall for this gag!" Clayface taunted. His stomach expanded and began to slowly absorb the struggling Superboy. "Struggle all you want, kid! Even a Kryptonian has to breathe!"

_M'gann, anytime now_, Superboy thought frantically. His field of vision was covered in clay, and he could only hear the shapeshifter's laughter.

"Let him go!"

Miss Martian decloaked herself, and with a wave of her hands, split Clayface in two. Superboy took in a large gulp of air as he staggered away from Clayface.

_A minute earlier would've been nice_, Superboy snapped. He jumped back as clay tentacles shot towards him.

_You're welcome,_ Miss Martian shot back._ Delta Squad, we've flushed the target. Converge on our signal._

"We can play at this all day, Missy!" Clayface bellowed. His hands formed into spikes. "Nothing you do can hurt me!"

_Robin, now!_ Miss Martian ordered. The Boy Wonder ran behind Clayface and threw twin Birdarangs at his back.

Clayface laughed at the electric discs and popped them out. "That don't work anymore!"

Superboy reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver capsule. "Then try this!"

Clayface turned around and charged at the Kryptonian. His open mouth gave Superboy enough time to flick the capsule towards him. As expected, Clayface swallowed it and began to gag. His stomach flashed before he grew in size and sand began pouring out of it. His mouth and back started leaking with sand too, immobilizing him for good.

Superboy walked up to admire his handiwork, smiling. "Distraction went off as planned, Robin. Thanks."

Robin stepped out of the shadows, bo staff resting on his shoulder. His crew cut hairstyle and red and black bodysuit were safe from the sickening touch of sewer water.

"Just happy it worked," he replied, voice cracking.

At the sewer pipe to his right, an alligator came sliding down. The alligator stood on its hind legs, then morphed into a boy with green hair, eyes, and a monkey tail, wearing a red bodysuit with white on the sides.

"Aw man, is it over already?" he complained. "I didn't even get a souvenir for the trophy room!"

A blue and black suit of armor flew toward Beast Boy before recoiling in disgust. "Dude, I think that smell qualifies!"

Beast Boy rolled his eyes at Blue Beetle. Passing him was a woman in short stature with a black combat suit with yellow trim and wings. She circled Clayface before morphing next to Superboy, barely shorter than him.

Miss Martian took off her hood and pressed a hand to her ear comm. Thank Mars I cut my hair. "Delta Squad to Cave, target neutralized."

"Good work, Delta. Come on home. Nightwing out."

**Five Years Later.**

* * *

**Location: New York City, 18:16, EST**

As a Secretary General, Tseng Dangun took every chance he had to go outside and stretch his legs after a long, busy work day. Eat a hot dog, call family. Even on the holidays, he found his day made better by street food on sitting on a bench.

"And you are sure?" Tseng asked to the other person on his phone.

_"We have made some progress, but not nearly enough as we were hoping by now."_

"Do whatever it takes to get our data. We cannot have our Competitor-"

Tseng's phone was blown out of his hand. He looked up at the offender and saw a large, pale skinned man with red eyes and black hair. His teeth were bared like a tiger at the zoo.

"Plee-ay, Krolo, suh frag."

_No..._ Tseng screamed in terror and ran for the United Nations building.

His attacker huffed and followed him slowly. No matter. He was told to put on a show, after all. And when it came to honoring his contracts, the Main Man was nothing if not thorough.

**Location: Mount Justice, 18:18 EST**

The Atlantean aimed for a kick at his opponent's chest, but he grabbed the webbed foot and flipped him over. Again, the Atlantean got off his back and charged forward, only to be softly punched in the stomach and knocked to the floor again.

"Neptune's Beard!" he swore, green fist striking the floor. "You did it to me again."

His opponent extended a gloved hand toward him, helping him up. "And I don't care how many years you trained as Robin, and then Nightwing. One of these days, you're mine, Chum."

"I don't doubt it, Lagoon Boy." Nightwing's domino mask looked into Lagoon Boy's dark red ones. The Atlantean was good. With time, and more training, he'd be a great hero.

Like _them_.

_"Recognized,"_ the computer announced._ "Superboy, B-04; Miss Martian, B-05; Bumblebee, B-17; Beast Boy, B-19; Robin, B-20; Blue Beetle, B-22."_

Mal Duncan and Lagoon Boy both walked up to their newly returned teammates. Bumblebee regrew and slipped off her cowl as Mal approached her.

"Slow down, beautiful," he said. "Wanna tell you what we've got planned for tonight."

Karen winced and sidestepped him. "Sorry Mal, I can't. I'm already late for another session with Doctor Palmer, but rain check, okay?" She ran out of the training room without seeing his dejected face.

"Welcome home, Angelfish," Lagoon Boy wrapped his arms around M'gann.

"Thank you, La'gaan," she smiled. She drew her lips to his and moaned, not caring about the sullen expression on Conner's face, or the bewildered growl from Wolf.

And certainly not the small amount of affection pulled back from La'gaan.

"I'm hitting the showers," Conner said succinctly. Beast Boy and Blue Beetle regarded him with pity. Beetle's armor retracted, revealing a 15-year-old boy with dark hair in a sweatshirt and jeans.

"Now _that_ sounds like a plan," Jaime Reyes agreed. "You know, for you, _hermano_."

Beast Boy looked at his mud-covered form, subconsciously flicking a piece of sewer gunk off his tail.

"Clayface is safely back in his Arkham cell," Robin informed Nightwing. The older of the two smiled.

"Good work," Nightwing complimented.

"I didn't do much, I just-"

_"Emergency alert."_

A holographic screen slid into the center of the training room, projecting Captain Atom's face onto it. Next to that, a smaller screen showing a building with various flags waved appeared.

"_United Nations headquarters is under attack,_" Captain Atom summarized.

"Beta's only two blocks away," Mal whispered.

"Captain Atom, the Team's Beta Squad is in the vicinity," Nightwing repeated. "ETA, three minutes."

**Location: New York City, 18:23 EST**

_Keezy fem..._ The Main Man regarded the destruction he'd caused with an apathetic eye. Didn't they know what they were protecting? Didn't they know that no one could go toe to toe with him?

Another squad of guards reached back and took out his Enforcer. The blade fired out of the gun and swept the guards into the wall. The blade retracted into the muzzle, and he returned it to the strap on his back.

"Hahn Sho Lobo skahveyt-ka, ka SKAHvey keezy Krolo!"

Pathetic little Krolo lovers drove him into that room. The Main Man pounded his fists against the door. After another hit, the entire door collapsed. He walked through the smoke, ignoring the gunfire and eliminating the final Krolo lover.

"Ka seh Hahn Sho Lobo, Krolo," he said. "Plee-ay suh frag."

"Please," the Krolo begged. "I don't understand. I don't know what you want!"

Stinking little Krolo playing dumb. Fine. He tapped the button on his belt.

"So that's how you want to play it? Fine," he said in what these keezy called English. "Contract calls for the Main Man to put on a show for the locals. So one more time: surrender, or die."

"Contract? Show?" the Krolo repeated.

"Die it is."

Finally, time to grab the stinking Krolo and leave this hole. Then he'd-who was this keezy fem? Her dainty fist knocked him back and shattered the windows. Then another fem came into the room.

"Wonder Girl," the first fem said, "Keep him busy. I'll get Secretary General Tseng to safety!"

The Wonder Girl cracked her knuckles and grinned. The red one known as Batgirl left with the stinking Krolo. How many Krolo lovers were on this rock?

He grabbed the Wonder Girl's face and threw her into the wall. Seriously? That little girl thought she could take down the Main Man? Seriously?

Batgirl grabbed Tseng's arm and dragged him out of the elevator. They'd have to sneak out the General Assembly building if they wanted to-

That thing just crashed through the elevator. Batgirl grabbed one of her smoke pellets and threw it at his feet, then helped Tseng up to run.

"Who is he?" Batgirl demanded. "What does he want with you?"

"I-I don't know!" Tseng screamed. "He said something about putting on a s-s-show? Calls himself the Main Man."

_Thinks rather highly of himself, doesn't he?_ Batgirl thought. She threw Tseng behind a chair as some blade thing nearly sliced her head off. She could hear his footsteps getting louder before a loud thud.

"Hold it, Clown Face," Wonder Girl taunted. "We weren't done dancing!"

"Keezy fem..." the Main Man growled.

"Yeah, yeah, 'keezy fem'. I've been called worse...I think?"

Wonder Girl ducked the Main Man's punch and uppercut him before giving him a swift roundhouse kick to the jaw. She threw her lasso around him and flew into his face before crashing into the rafters.

Batgirl turned to Tseng and ordered, "When I move, run."

Immediately, Batgirl climbed onto the table and jumped toward the Main Man. She flipped off of his shoulders and landed gracefully onto another table. Being knocked off of it was a small price to pay

"Planet of keezy fem," the Main Man boasted before regarding the beeps from his shoulders.

_How's that for keezy fem?_ Batgirl smirked. She could hear grunts and a sound of shock before having Wonder Girl flying into her as she got her bearings.

"Sorry!" Wonder Girl apologized. "You okay?"

"Forget me!" Batgirl ordered. "Tseng!"

The two heroes ran towards the Main Man as he had Tseng in his clutches. Wonder Girl screamed as he ripped Tseng open. There were wires sticking out, along with a little green alien. The Main Man picked it up and looked at them both.

"The Main Man's contract's complete!" He tapped his belt. "Keezy fem, your world's your world!" The wall behind him exploded, and he jumped on his hoverbike before speeding away.

Wonder Girl disregarded the body and simply said, "I think...I think Clown Face was some kind of alien."

Batgirl examined the fake Tseng's body before turning to her teammate. What did this mean? Were there more aliens in New York? Hell, how many more aliens were on Earth?

"And that's not even the scary part."

_And I thought Dick's birthday was weird..._

* * *

Author Notes:

With season two wrapping up (please let there be a Season Three, Cartoon Network), I decided to novelize it. Mostly because I want to, and also to clear up some things that people were probably wondering about the show as best I can with the information from the comics. Some scenes will be added, others expanded upon. I'm hoping to have a fairly consistent schedule with this story. If you have any criticisms, relate it my delivery, spelling, or grammar.

As always, read and review.


	2. New Friends, New Enemies

**New Year, New Enemies**

_"Breaking news from the UN building-"_

_"Reports of an attack, multiple guards injured-"_

_"Large, white alien attacked-"_

_"-Secretary General Tseng Dangun, ripped him in half-"_

_"-the little alien. Oh, I know what you're saying, folks-"_

Nightwing paused the TV. Behind him, Superboy, Wonder Girl, Miss Martian, and Batgirl tried to process what they'd seen and experienced.

**Location: Mount Justice, January 3, 17:03 EDT**

"How long has that...thing," Superboy pointed to the smaller alien, "been here? Been Tseng?"

"No clue," Batgirl replied. "I tried to get to get a sample of the alloy for that disguise of his and searched his office for clues. Nothing came up. The fingerprints were an exact match of Tseng's, along with his dental records."

Wonder Girl glared at the figure on screen. G. Gordon Godfrey. Guy had come out of nowhere around two years ago with his accent and snarky sense of humor, tearing down anyone who was unlucky to be caught in the spotlight. And given that superheroes attracted a lot of attention...

"Bet he's having a field day with this," she grimaced. She unpaused the screen, and the news stream continued.

_"-Good old G. Gordon's lost it. What's this, the 8 billionth time he's run that clip? But that's because I'm trying to WAKE. YOU. UP!" _

"Think anyone'll believe him this time?" Miss Martian's eyes narrowed.

"He _has_ been getting a lot more viewers," Batgirl noted.

"Ignore him," Nightwing ordered. "He's just like Abra Cadabra, only his tricks are his words, and they're worse than Abby's." He, Miss Martian, and Superboy shared a smile.

"Supey, Miss M, gotta head for the Watchtower. We'll be back soon." Nightwing led the two senior members of the Team to the Zeta tube.

_"Recognized: Nightwing, B-01; Superboy, B-04; Miss Martian, B-05."_

Batman, John Stewart, Captain Atom, Martian Manhunter, and a man in a lab jacket and baggy cargo pants were viewing G. Gordon's clip. The audio was, thankfully, lowered enough to the point of being muted.

"So what do we know about our mystery guest?" Nightwing asked.

_"We know they provide safe haven for a Kryptonian, and a Martian, but what if that's not all? What if the Amazons came from outer space, or the Atlanteans? How do we really know Flash isn't an alien? Or Hawkman? Or Icon? What are they keeping from the real Earthlings..."_

_"Recognized: Zatanna, 25; Rocket, 26,"_ the computer announced.

_"Like us?"_

"The big guy's Lobo," John Stewart answered. "He's an intergalactic bounty hunter. Extremely dangerous, but not likely to return. The little guy's another story. That's a Krolotean, and Kroloteans always travel in packs."

"Meaning more of them are on Earth," Batman assumed.

"I believe my friend may have vital information on that point," Martian Manhunter turned to the non-costumed guest. "This is Adam Strange of Star Labs' Erdel Initiative. He is the scientist responsible for maintaining the Zeta Beam technology we use for teleportation."

Superboy turned to Rocket and thought, Was wondering why a stranger was allowed on the 'top secret' Watchtower.

"I-it's a little involved," Adam stuttered. "Wish I had visual aids or something."

Manhunter stared Adam down, red eyes glowing. Adam grabbed his head in irritation.

_We are all linked, Adam,_ Manhunter informed. _What you remember, we will see._

_Well,_ Adam began, _I was performing a routine Zeta Tube upgrade, when something went wrong..._

_"Duss? Cheekana sook tah!"_

_"Whoa, whoa, slow down! There's a totally good explanation for why I'm here! Um...where is here, exactly?"_

_"Duss?"_

_"Ah, shit."_

_"O-kay. I am A-dahm Str-ange. You are?"_

_"Sardath. Hel-o, A-dahm. Lam tasla vier Rann."_

_"Rann...that's the name of the planet, right? Okay, good, we got communication!"_

_"Kroloteans...Apic-Zeta. Kroloteans...Zeta vier Urth." "_

_"Kroloteans. Stole your Zeta technology. And...and they're on Earth!"_

"Fits the Krolotean MO," John nodded once the mindlink ended. "Their entire culture revolves around stolen tech."

"Sardath detected transmissions between a single location on Rann, and multiple locations on Earth," Adam continued. "He was attempting to trace those when he accidentally teleported me to Rann. He gave me this." Adam pulled out a small device from his pocket. It showed a yellow projection of Earth with multiple areas highlighted. "It detects trace Zeta radiation, and can pinpoint where all the Kroloteans beamed to Earth."

"Then I'm ordering a two-pronged attack," Captain Atom began. "We'll stage simultaneous raids on every Krolotean target on Earth, while a contingent of Leaguers travels to Rann with Strange here to cut the Kroloteans off at the source."

Adam cleared his throat. "We might have a problem with that second prong." The device changed to a holographic slideshow of six beings in battle.

The Justice League.

"Totally unclear on the why, but Earthlings are _persona non grata_ in Rann's corner of the galaxy, and these six Leaguers are wanted criminals."

"What?!" John yelled as his own picture came up. "How the..."

"Batman," Nightwing turned to his mentor, "It's the missing 16 hours! It has to be!"

"Agreed," Batman nodded. "Adam, five years ago, Vandal Savage took mental control of the entire Justice League. These exact six Leaguers went missing for 16 hours."

"Never even occurred to us that Vandal might've sent us into space," John mused. "I'll alert Hal. He and Guy are on Oa with the Green Lantern Corps."

"Meanwhile," Captain continued, "we've got 15 other active Leaguers to-."

"You're not getting it," Adam interrupted. "There's a planetary watch alert for out on Rann for every Leaguer."

Captain Atom scowled as his face appeared on the projection.

"Not all of us are Leaguers," Nightwing said. "I can send a squad to handle the Rann end of things, and to find out more about the 16 hours without causing an intergalactic incident."

"Do it," Captain Atom ordered. Nightwing, Superboy, and Miss Martian made their way to the Zeta tubes.

"Um, kid?" Superboy turned his head toward Adam.

"If you're going to Rann, don't wear that shirt." Adam pointed to his chest. Superboy looked at the S shield and realized that Adam was right.

_Guess I'll have to get a new shirt._

_You know that thing about you not being Leaguers_, Zatanna smiled as Nightwing walked over to her and Rocket. _You three still have an open invitation to-_

_We know, Zee,_ Nightwing smiled.

_But we're all pretty happy..._ Miss Martian continued.

_Where we are,_ Superboy finished.

The two graduate members of the Team looked at each other and shrugged. Zatanna gave Nightwing a peck on the cheek and hugged Miss Martian and Superboy tightly.

_Oh, M'gann, we've set a date for the shower!_ Rocket reminded._ March 21, 6:30 in Dakota. Remember where we went for our Girls Night Out with Babs and Cass last year? That's the place! I've already told-_

The Zeta tubes teleported the three members of the Team away.

**Location: Mount Justice, January 4, 19:58 EST**

"Heya Blue," Wonder Girl grinned as they walked into the mission room together. "Ready for the mission?"

"Uh, sure," Blue Beetle shrugged. "I guess."

"How you liking the Team? Getting along pretty well?"

"Yeah, I'm getting better, that's for sure," he smiled. Then his eyes shifted to something behind him. "Silencio, I am! I'm not getting taken out as easily as I used to, now am I?"

"Uh, Blue?"

"Okay, so Clayface got us good by shifting into Gar, but that doesn't mean that-"

"Blue!"

Blue Beetle stopped his rant and looked around him. Bumblebee, Robin, Nightwing, Mal, Wolf, Batgirl, and Lagoon Boy were now in the mission room with them. He chuckled in embarrassment and made his way to the back behind Lagoon Boy.

"Where's Miss M and Superboy?" Mal asked.

"They're going with Adam Strange to Rann in a few hours," Nightwing answered.

"She's with him? Alone?" Lagoon Boy repeated, eyes slightly widening.

"Beast Boy, too." No one saw the Atlantean's shoulders lower and a sigh of relief. "You've all received the mission specs, so you know what's expected. It's all hands on deck. The League and the Team will be hitting all 14 Krolotean Zeta locations simultaneously. Your priorities are to destroy all Zeta tubes or platforms and search for any missing humans the aliens may have abducted. As always, Mal is Ops Manager, coordinating comm from here."

"C'mon, Alpha Squad..." Lagoon Boy whispered.

"Wonder Girl, you and I are Alpha."

"Neptune's Beard!" Lagoon Boy swore over the Amazon's cheer of joy.

"Assignment: Philadelphia."

"Okay, okay...give me Beta," the Atlantean crossed his fingers.

"Batgirl, Bumblebee, you and two and Wolf are Beta," Nightwing turned to each member mentioned, "Assignment: Vlatavastok."

"Ugh, not again."

"Robin, La'gaan, Beetle, you're Gamma," Nightwing finished. "Prep the Bioship, you're headed for New Orleans."

"Gamma always gets the soft gigs," Lagoon Boy muttered as he and Beetle left to prepare.

"Tim," Nightwing put a hand on Robin's shoulder. His voice was hushed. "You'll be running Gamma."

"Me?" Robin's eyes widened. "D-Dick, I've never lead a squad before."

"Making this a good opportunity to get your feet wet as a field leader."

"Because it's Gamma and you're not expecting trouble, or because we're stretched thin, and you have no choice?"

Nightwing gnawed at his lip for a moment before answering, "Just don't die, okay? And no unnecessary risks to the squad. That's an order."

Robin nodded. Nightwing wrapped him up in a tight hug and rubbed his back.

"Come back home, little brother," he whispered.

"I will," Robin replied. "I will."

"We'll be leaving soon," Lagoon Boy wrapped an arm around Miss Martian and kissed her cheek. "Going to New Orleans. Gamma, so you know it'll be an easy gig. Do you know when you'll be back?"

Miss Martian shook her head. "We shouldn't be long, though. We get in, find out what the Kroloteans are planning, get out."

"M'gann, let's go," Superboy pointed a thumb behind him. He had a bag slung over his shoulder.

"She's busy," Lagoon Boy growled.

"Well her ride's leaving, and her little puppy needs to let her go to work," Superboy shot back. Both men stared each other down before Miss Martian pulled Lagoon Boy into a kiss.

"Be back soon," she promised as the Zeta Tube warmed up.

"I love you," Lagoon Boy waved.

The tube flashed them away gone before she could respond.

**Location: New Orleans, 21:59 CST**

The cloaked Bioship pulled into a deep dive before pulling up. The readings from Watchtower traced the Zeta radiation to a junkyard. Specifically-

"A tool shed?" Lagoon Boy complained. "Barely enough room for one Zeta Tube in there. I knew we got the soft gig!"

Blue Beetle reclined in his seat and grinned, "And yet, I'm strangely okay with that." He glared. "Yes, I am. Yes, I _am_!_ Yes, I am!_"

Sometimes, Robin wondered if his life was better before he put on the cape.

He tapped the 'R' on his chest, and Mal's face lit up in front of him. "Gamma Squad to Cave, we're in position."

_"Acknowledged, Gamma,"_ Mal said. _"All Team squads and Justice League units are ready. Go time."_ The hologram whirred back into the insignia. The Bioship's rear opened, and the three heroes jumped out before landing on a pile of cars. Robin nodded to Blue Beetle, who morphed his arm into a sonic cannon and fired at the tool shed. It exploded spectacularly, revealing nothing.

Lagoon Boy jumped down to observe the rubble. "Congratulations, Blue," he kicked over a bucket of wrenches and bolts, "you took out an _actual_ tool shed."

After a few minutes, Robin turned to Lagoon Boy and simply said, "You're up." The Boy Wonder landed next to the Atlantean and led him to the river by the junkyard.

"Down there," Robin pointed.

"Gee, the fish guy has to go underwater, again," Lagoon Boy rolled his eyes. "What a shock." With a sigh, he jumped in.

The water was cold, but it barely mattered to him. He continued to swim deeper down until he found his target, poorly hidden by seaweed. Further down was a cave with a door slowly opening and closing.

Found it, Lagoon Boy tapped his ear comm. He could hear the muted splashes of Robin and Blue Beetle joining him before the three swam towards the door. Robin pointed at him, then the door. He grinned.

Showtime.

With a breath, the Atlantean tattoos on his shoulders glowed, and his chest puffed up. He held the door open long enough for Beetle and Robin to get in, then reverted to his original size to join them. The tube was long and narrow, with lights leading upward.

The three heroes rose from the water slowly, hearing only growls from up above. It was massive; if Robin had to guess, it was almost as big as the Batcave. Multiple platforms rising from the ground, lit up by green lights. In the center was a large computer written in a language that could only be described as alien. Dozens of Kroloteans were patrolling and performing maintenance, unaware of their intruders.

"Gamma to Cave," Robin whispered as they ducked behind a ramp. "We hit the motherload. Huge base. Alien tech; multiple Zeta...platforms. And more Kroloteans than I can count."

_"Acknowledged," Mal said. "We'll send backup. Until then, lay low."_

"That might be a _problema, ese,_" Beetle pointed to the Krolotean computer. The three of them were on screen.

And every Krolotean was looking at it.

Blue Beetle turned to Lagoon Boy and glared as the aliens came charging.

"'Soft gig', huh?"

* * *

**Act Two of Happy New Year done! I think the way this'll work in most cases will be like the show, where I cut it off where the commercial break usually was. In some cases, I'll just go right on ahead to the next act. I think I'm going to add part of Earthlings in with the next chapter. With Godfrey, I'm going to try and cut the speeches of his that we saw and maybe add some in that we didn't see. And as you may have noticed, I start some scenes before the timestamps that occur in the episode themselves.**

**If anyone wants to beta this, just shoot me a message. And the next chapter of 'Today is the Day' will be in by Tuesday, at the earliest.**


	3. Getting Your Feet Wet

**Location: Mount Justice, January 4, 22:06 EST**

"All Team units, report in. What've you got people, talk to me," Mal ordered. He'd become so good at being a coordinator, he could read each datapad's information for a fraction of a second and have it committed to memory.

_"Beta to Cave,"_ Batgirl reported. _"We found a Zeta platform, the kind Strange described. There were two Kroloteans here, but they Zeta'd away before we could apprehend. No human prisoners."_

"Acknowledged, Beta. Destroy the platform and report back."

_"Alpha to Cave,"_ Nightwing continued._ "One platform, now non-operational. One Krolotean escaped; zero abductees."_

"League results are getting the same results. Ditto Beta."

_"And Gamma?"_

Mal cringed. "Yeah, about them...they reported in with multiple Zeta platforms and tons of Kroloteans. It's a safe bet that's where your Krolotean ended up."

Nightwing growled._ "We'll finish up here, then send their location to all League and Team units. Nightwing out."_

"Sending coordinates now. Man,," Mal muttered, "hope they're okay. If they die before Nightwing gets their hands on them..."

The Kroloteans kept charging, growing larger within seconds. Lagoon Boy and Robin turned to Robin.

_So much for the stealthy._

"Form up," Robin ordered, opening his bo staff. "Blue, you have our six."

"_Si, hermano_!"

"Stay liquid, minnows!"

The Boy Wonder lept into the air, swatting three Kroloteans away like flies. Lagoon Boy puffed up and roared, grabbing multiple of them and throwing them at their allies. The ones that dodged his volleys were soon on their back as the Atlantean did a body slam onto the floor. Up above, Blue Beetle activated his Sonic Cannon and fired, dispering the crowd even further. His other hand formed into his Plasma Launcher and fired six rounds, setting the platforms slightly ablaze.

_Behind us._

Blue turned around and saw dozens of Kroloteans crawling up along the pipes. Again, his hand formed into a Sonic Cannon, and he blasted them away.

****The Commander watched as his soldiers swarmed the Metas. Several of his finest men were close to defeating the fish one._ Not suitable for testing_, the Commander decided. But the human in red would most certainly be worth testing. The way he moved indicated that he may have a-

No. _No_. When had they sent a Warrior to Earth? Didn't the humans know what they were in for?

_"The Warrior is with them! The Competitor is on world as well! Retreat! To Rann!"_ The Commander growled, pointing at their flying foe. His men were quick to follow his orders and backpedaled to the Zeta platforms. He turned to the computer and typed in a series of commands.

_"They will not get our research,"_ he muttered._ "They will be powerless without their Warrior. I only regret that we must sacrifice the playthings below to end their reach."_

With the countdown set, the Commander joined his remaining soldiers in the Zeta platform.

"Playthings?" Robin thought for a moment before realizing what Blue had told him. "Oh, man, the abductees!"

"Three minutes, thirty ese, then boom!" Blue reminded.

"And Nightwing said no unnecessary risks to the squad." But he'd done plenty of things when he was Robin. So did... "But this is necessary. We have to get below!"

"There!" Lagoon Boy pointed at a drain more Kroloteans were pouring out of.

"Beetle on point, go!" Blue activated his wings and flew, morphing his hands into battering rams. He knocked any Kroloteans unfortunate enough to be standing in his path. Lagoon Boy and Robin trailed behind them, taking care of any who tried to stop them from their path. After knocking a few heads, the two joined Beetle down at the bottom of the drain, a Krolotean in his hand.

"Hello?"

The three turned to a cage holding seven humans at the end of the hall. Upon seeing Robin being flanked by Beetle and Lagoon Boy, they cowered in fear.

"More aliens! Keep 'em away!"

"Hey, we're not aliens!" Blue Beetle protested. The Krolotean in his grasp growled. "Well, he is, but we're not!" He pointed to himself and Lagoon Boy. The Atlantean shrugged his shoulders before puffing up and ripping the cage in half. Steam billowed as he reverted to his natural size.

"Thank you," the human he recognized as Tseng said. "W-we didn't mean-"

"It's fine," Lagoon Boy smiled. "I get that a lot, _chum_."

Robin turned to Blue Beetle and the Krolotean. "Ask him the fastest way out."

"Dude, I don't speak the-" Beetle turned his head. "Wait, you can? Well, what are you waiting for?" He turned to the Krolotean.

_"Tell us how to leave this base."_

_"I will tell you nothing, Warrior! This is our world! You cannot be here as part of your treaty with the-"_

_"You are in no position to mention the treaty, meat. Tell us how to leave, or we will be the least of your problems."_

Blue Beetle growled and hissed at Robin before realizing his mistake. "I mean, this way!" He lead the group to an opening of water. "This'll get us out! Jump!" He clutched the Krolotean to his chest as he jumped in feet first. He could hear multiple splashes following his own as he quickly began to swim away from the imminent explosion. The explosion above them shook the water as multiple debris began to separate them from each other. Beetle found two of the abductees and pushed them up to air by their feet before joining them.

"Where's La'gaan?" Robin looked around the water. Only himself, Beetle, and the abductees were present. _No, no. C'mon, don't make me tell M'gann-_

Lagoon Boy burst out of the water, arms raised high. "That's right! Gamma Squad rules!"

Robin couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. All things considered, the mission went off without a hitch.

"Uh, Rob..." Beetle pointed toward the sky. Eclipsed by the moon were their mentors and predecessors: the Justice League. Superman, the Hawks, Martian Manhunter, and Wonder Woman flew in front of them. To the squad's right was Red Tornado, Zatanna, Captains Marvel and Atom, Icon, and Rocket. On their left, John Stewart carried Black Canary, Green Arrow, Plastic Man, and Black Lightning. Dr. Fate held Batman, Aquaman, Flash, and Atom. Finally, Nightwing, Wolf, Bumblebee, Batgirl, and Wonder Girl flew in on the Supercycle.

The young teens looked at each other, awaiting a reprimand, an order to get the abductees out of the water. Instead, they received something better.

"Dude!" Nightwing leaned forward on the Supercycle's handlebars and grinned. "Way to get your feet wet."

Robin smiled. "Didn't think you'd mind if I took it so literally. Mind getting us outta here, though? It's a bit cold."

* * *

Beast Boy, Miss Martian, and Superboy took a moment to take in their surroundings. The futuristic home was a nice juxtaposition with the beautiful, idyllic forest setting and the yellow moon above them.

"Whoa," Beast Boy said in awe. Superboy and Miss Martian had to silently agree with him.

"Zeta Squad," Adam couldn't hide the smile in his voice. "Welcome to Rann."

**Location: Ranagar, Rann, January 4, 22:16, UTC**

"Whoa," Beast Boy repeated as he stared at the moon. "I am totally walking on an alien planet! Wow, sis, you must say that like, every day on Earth." He walked over to his sister, grinning at the irony.

"Actually, I kind of do," Miss Martian ruffled his hair.

"Wait, we can breathe the air here, right?" Beast Boy grabbed his neck in fear.

"A-dahm! A-dahm!"

A pretty girl with Elfin ears and light green skin walked up to them, trailed by a bald man in a lab coat and goggles.

"Ol fao aeli vier qu, A-dahm!" she smiled at Adam.

"Great," he smiled back. I think. "Uh, Zeta Squad," he turned to his guests. "This are my Rannian friends Sardath-" he extended a hand towards the man, who didn't even so much as smile- "and his daughter, Alana." Miss Martian or Superboy couldn't help but cringe at the amount of affection in his voice. Their eyes met for a brief moment before looking away.

"Sardath-Cho, Alanna..." Adam put himself in between the three heroes and pointed at each one.  
"Olf fao Miss Martian, Superboy ul Beast Boy, leps Urth."

"Lam talsa, 'Urth-lingz'", Sardath and Alana bowed their heads. "Fao A-dahm ililoc qu duss maol ao Apic-Zeta?"

The heroes turned toward Adam. "I'm...still figuring out the language," he admitted sheepishly. "This is usually the when we start playing charades."

Miss Martian turned her gaze toward the Rannians and focused. Both of them clutched their head in a brief pain.

"What was that?" Alana turned toward her father, not noticing Superboy's glare.

"Such an odd sensation," Sardath agreed.

"Wait," Adam walked up to them both. "You're speaking English!"

"No, they're not," Miss Martian corrected. "But I linked us mentally, and I'm serving as a...psychic translator."

_Bullshit,_ came Superboy's bitter thought.

"They speak Rannian, we speak English," she continued, "but all now hear the language they understand."

Sirens began to blare loudly in the distance. Sardath ushered them inside his house.

"It is wise to harbor caution when harboring Earthlings," he said cryptically. Superboy and Miss Martian looked at each other curiously.

****

What did the League _do _in this corner of the galaxy?


	4. Earthlings

**Earthlings**

**Location: Rannian Jungle, January 5, 04:48 UTC**

The creatures of the jungle hooted and chirped. Their lives in this corner of their beautiful planet was rarely disturbed. If it was, they would surely know. Until then, all will be well.

"Run!"

Then again...

Miss Martian telekinetically waved the dense grass away. She, Beast Boy, and Alana barely made it past the tree she uprooted before their pursuer caught up to them. She could hear another proton burst, followed by a grunt from Superboy that she found herself willing to ignore. He could handle it.

_"Gar, turn left!"_ she ordered psychically.

_"But Superboy and Alanna!"_ Beast Boy protested.

_"We'll meet up with them later, I promise! Now GO!"_

The two shapeshifters continued to run, not paying attention to Alana's frantic screams and her jetpack's sputtering. The Rannian barely had enough time to release the jetpack from her body before it exploded. Her descent was thankfully prevented by Superboy, who had enough time to grab her before being shot by another proton burst.

_Ow_, Superboy thought as they skidded across the dirt. The two looked up to see their attacker in a spider-like mech. It aimed its cannon at them. The Kryptonian quickly smothered Alanna in his chest, ignoring the blast to his back.

Again, the two were sent flying over a hill and continued to slide. Superboy dragged his nails across the dirt, nearly sending them both falling down the cliff at the last possible second. Alanna was dangling more than he was, even as he rested his free elbow on the cliff. He could hear the mech stomping towards them.

_This is not how the mission was supposed to go,_ he thought sullenly. _Then again, when does it ever?_

**Aqualad, the Atlantian Apprentice. Robin, the Boy Wonder. Kid Flash, Fastest Boy Alive; Superboy, Boy of Steel; Miss Martian, the Maiden of Mars; and Artemis, the Emerald Archess. Six young heroes brought together by Batman himself to act as a covert ops team and handle the missions the Justice League can't.**

**After defeating Vandal Savage and saving the Justice League, the Team has grown in size over the past five years. Now, the mystery of the League's missing 16 hours from that fateful day five years ago is brought back into the spotlight when they learn they're wanted criminals in the galaxy. While the rest of the Team and the League handle the Kroloteans on Earth, Superboy, Miss Martian, and Beast Boy head to Rann. There, they hope to learn more about the Krolotean attack force and a way to prevent more aliens from coming to Earth, Zeta tube or otherwise.**

* * *

**Four Hours Ago.**

Beast Boy couldn't help but marvel at the collection of alien animals in Sardath's lab. Upon entering, the shapeshifter ran to the green, horned birds with a smile on his face. Adam, Sardath, Alanna, Superboy, and Miss Martian stepped out of the elevator at a slower pace.

"Sardath," Adam began, "have you learned anything more about why earthlings are unwelcome in this corner of the galaxy?"

Sardath sighed. "The Rannian Science Command is xenophobic in general, which is why my research into interplanetary Zeta beam travel is being conducted quietly. It is also why I have yet to report the theft of my technology. If Science Command learned I had made it possible for aliens, especially you earthlings," he motioned to Superboy and Miss Martian," to Zeta here to Rann, the consequences could be dire for myself and my daughter."

"I still don't get it," Superboy said. "Why the big hate for earthlings? How do they even know any earthlings to hate?"

Alanna pressed the button on her father's console. Like at the Watchtower, a holographic display of Superman appeared, followed by the rest of the Justice League.

"I assume Adam showed you this," Alanna stated. "We are still unclear on the details."

"Science Command has not inclined to share intelligence with its people," Sardath noted.

"But we have learned there was an incident on the planet Rimbor involving earthling criminals known as the Justice League."

Sardath turned his gaze to Miss Martian. "I assume you are not associated with these outlaws." It wasn't a question.

Miss Martian stared at the screen before replying, "We are not members of the League."

**Now.**

The mech drew closer toward Superboy and Alanna. He could feel his grip on her and the ledge slipping. Nowhere to go but down. He wrapped Alanna in his arms as they fell, landing perfectly in the dirt before leaping into the air again.

_Too close,_ he thought as the mech just barely landed behind him as he took off in the air. His perfection of his jumping landed them behind a rock formation, enough distance from the mech. Once he put Alanna on the ground, she pointed towards a cave.

_Hurry, in here!_

He followed her inside, pressing his back against it as two mechs patrolled past them.

_Don't make a sound,_ he repeated to himself and Alanna. They both drew in a breath as the clangs of the mechs became easier to hear. For a moment, one of the mechs stopped before resuming its movement. Once his X-Ray vision showed them long gone, he let out a sigh of relief.

_Superboy, Alanna,_ Miss Martian called out._ Are you-_

_Safe,_ Superboy confirmed._ For now. You?_

_We lost them,_ she replied after half a minute of silence.

Now _can we blow this popsicle stand?_ Beast Boy asked.

Now _we stay put and give their patrols a chance to move on. Let's meet up below the Magrail when it's safe._

_And then regroup with Adam and my father,_ Alanna sat down with her legs crossed. _Then we can determine what to do about this Krolotean base._

_M'gann..._ Superboy averted his eyes to the dirt._ Be careful._

_You too, Conner,_ came the shy reply. He had to fight a smile. It nearly reminded him of how they were five years ago. Before...

_And now here we are, traveling to other worlds. Pretty sure this isn't what Cadmus had in mind for me._

"So, how long were you two together?" Alanna looked at him with concern.

Conner sighed. There really was no hiding it, even from an alien.

"All my life," he answered.

"Do you want to talk about-"

"No," came the immediate reply. He looked away from her.

"Can she hear us?"

Conner slumped his shoulders and sat beside the Rannian. "Doesn't work that way. Translation's basically automatic. She's not conscious of what we say out loud."

"Well then, talk. I live light years away, so you'll never see me again," Alanna reminded with a smile. "Makes me the perfect confidant."

Conner sighed. "It's complicated." It was. "And weird." It wasn't.

"I have a crush on an alien from another planet. Who am I to judge?"

_Really persistent, huh?_ Conner thought to himself._ You asked for it._

"I'm a clone," he said. "Force grown in the span of a few months to look like...this." He waved his hands half heartedly and smiled. "M'gann saw that I could somehow be more than the weapon I was created to be." Memories began to flash in his mind.

_"I-I like your t-shirt."_

_"...Sorry."_

"See, M'gann's a shapeshifter. To her, looks are clothing for the mind inside. Easy to change. But I'm the opposite. It's become the processes used to create me had a side effect. I don't visibly age. At all. I'm not immortal," he amended quickly. "I'm aging internally. But I'll always look-"

"This good?" Alanna teased.

"Standard blessing and curse," Conner leaned his head against the cave.

"Seems like a shapeshifter match for someone...suffering from your condition."

_"Being a White Martian among the Green on Mars, I endured constant rejection. I couldn't face that-"_

_"From me? I've known since we mind-melded last September in Bialya."_

_"B-b-but, that was before we even became a couple. Why didn't you say anything?"_

_"I figured you'd tell me when you were ready."_

"I used to think so," he sighed. "Anyway, she's with La'gaan now. He's kind of a jerk, but he's good to her."

"Well, it's obvious she still has feelings for you," Alanna placed a hand on his shoulder. "Perhaps she regrets leaving you for him."

"She didn't. I dumped her." Superboy looked away in anger. "She left me no choice." His mind soured at the memory.

_"How could you do this to me? After all we've been through? Did you think I wouldn't feel it?!"_

_"I-I-I'm sorry! But I had to! It's always been easier after I-"_

_"You've done this before? How many times?"_

_"Conner..."_

_"How many times, M'gann?!"_

_"Four..."_

**Three Hours Ago.**

**Location: Rannian Magrail, Ulthoon Stop**

"Got the bag?" Superboy looked to Alanna and her "twin sister", Rinoa. The former nodded and adjusted the strap on her shoulder. Rinoa's pet bird "Tidus" squawked happily. Unlike the two women, he was dressed in a tunic for standard Rannian workers. Adam's was much more colorful; a combination of red and white made a more appealing contrast to Superboy's dark red. The Magrail pulled up to their stop, and the five stepped inside, sitting at the back of the car.

The plan was simple. Sardath would stay behind and right back to work on a blueprints for a Zeta shield while the others would go the Rannian jungles and take out the Krolotean Zeta tubes. All in all, an easy mission.

_"We should be fine now,"_ Alanna said. The doors slowly shut before being yanked open by two men in uniforms.

_"Unless the Rannian Science Patrol comes in for routine ID checks."_

Thankfully, the pair of officers started with the large group of passengers first. Adam opened up his bag.

_"I'll create a diversion, lead them off the train,"_ he said. Alanna reached for his hand.

_"It's not safe. I'll-"_

_"You're the jungle guide, remember? I'll ditch these guys and circle back to your father's compound, help him finish the Zeta shield."_ She placed hands in his. The look in her eyes said everything.

_"Be careful."_

It was a look two of their guests knew all too well. The moment was short-lived, as the officers came towards them. Adam rose from his seat and went to them.

_"Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch; Beware the Jub-Jub Bird and shun the fluuuumious Bandersnatch!" Like a child, he grabbed one of the officers' noses and put his thumb between his fist._

"Got your nose!" he grinned. The shock on their faces gave him enough time to run out of the car before they caught up to him.

"Tomtel! Tomtel!"

Adam grinned. The wings on his jetpack extended, and with a smile, he took off for the air.

"And down the rabbit hole I go!"

* * *

**Apologies if the structure for this one is weird. I wanted to mix up the formula a bit, and this and "Depths" provided good opportunities for this to happen. I may change it next chapter. Not sure. **

**I think episodes like this one, I'll just try to lead into the following one as best as I can. So you can most likely expect part of "Alienated" to come with the next chapter. Just a heads up. Sorry for the long wait. Writer's block kills. .**


End file.
